The next event in the Law Society of NSW’s “Behind the Buzzwords” FLIP Inquiry Series will examine the risks and rewards of using the cloud.

The “Behind the Buzzwords” series aims to decode the jargon used in the innovation and technology space for the benefit of those who work in the legal profession.

“Behind the Buzzwords: Cloud” will unpack:

• What is cloud computing and what are the benefits?
• Risk management, corporate governance and insurance issues
• Third-party access to data
• What happens when it goes wrong?
• Legal obligations to consider.

President of the Law Society of NSW, Elizabeth Espinosa, said the cloud offers a variety of potential advantages for law firms, including low upfront costs, greater accessibility, opportunities for collaboration and data security.

“Cloud computing allows legal professionals to run their practices more efficiently and economically,” she said.

Ninety-eight per cent of law firms are essentially small businesses and for them, affordability and flexibility can be the difference between being commercially viable or going under.

However, our profession is governed by strict rules regarding client confidentiality and professional conduct.

Lawyers have an ethical and commercial obligation to keep their data and the data of their clients safe, secure and confidential.

If a lawyer hosts confidential client data on a third-party cloud service, to what extent should that lawyer be required to understand the technologies used by that service to ensure data security and what steps should they take to mitigate those risks?

This is just one of the many important issues that the panellists will discuss.

“Behind the Buzzwords: Cloud” will be held at the Law Society of NSW at 5pm on Wednesday 9 October 2019.

The five panellists providing their expertise on the risks and rewards of the cloud are:

• Graham Jefferson, CEO, NTT Cloud Services
• Lyn Nicholson, General Counsel Corporate & Commercial, Holding Redlich
• Clayton Noble, Senior Legal Counsel, Microsoft Australia
• David Vaile, Executive Director - Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, UNSW Law and Australian Privacy Foundation Chairman
• Linden Barnes, Senior Ethics Solicitor, The Law Society of New South Wales.

CONTACT:
Sue Finn | Media and Public Relations Manager
The Law Society of New South Wales
T: +61 2 9926 0288 | M: +61 413 440 699 | E: media@lawsociety.com.au